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Stay Warm and Safe Beyond the Labels Time to Take Action EHS Employee of the Year

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Stay Warm and Safe This Winter Radon: Time to Take Action

Using a wood burning or gas fireplace can You can’t see it or smell it, but elevated radon levels provide warmth and a relaxing atmosphere in your home could be affecting your family’s health. during the cold winter months. But they can Radon is a naturally occurring, radioactive gas also prove dangerous if not maintained and released in rock, soil and water formed from the operated properly. breakdown of uranium. Radon can enter your home Heating is the second leading cause of from surrounding soil and is home fires behind cooking with an average drawn into a house through of more than 45,000 home heating fires foundation cracks and occurring the United States each year, openings such as sump pump according to the U.S. Fire Administration. Confined fires, fires confined to lids and plumbing features chimneys, flues or fuel burners, accounted for 84 percent of these fires. on the lower levels of homes. The following safety tips from the Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association It may also be found in your (HPBA) can help keep you safe this winter. water supply if your home is Wood Burning Fireplace served by a private well.  Have your chimney inspected annually and cleaned, as necessary, by a Breathing high levels of professional chimney sweep to ensure it’s clear of obstructions and radon over a prolonged period of time may damage creosote. your lung tissue. Radon exposure is the second leading  Have a cap installed at the top of your chimney to avoid the possibility that cause of lung cancer deaths, behind only smoking, debris or animals can block the chimney. responsible for an estimated 20,000 deaths in the U.S. each year, according to the U.S. Environmental  Install a smoke detector and carbon monoxide detector in the area of your Protection Agency (EPA). Smokers are at an increased fireplace. Keep a fire extinguisher on hand. risk to develop health problems due to radon exposure.  Make sure the area around your fireplace (at Testing your home is simple and inexpensive. You can least two feet) is clear of furniture, books, Peak Time purchase a radon test kit and place the radon detector newspaper and other potentially flammable January is the peak time in the basement or first floor of your home for the time materials. for home heating fires, period described on the kit. The kit is then sent to a lab for analysis and the results will be sent back to you  Clean out the ashes from the previous fire. accounting for 21 percent Store ashes in a non-combustible container within a few weeks. of these incidents. The with a tightly fitting lid and place the Radon test kits can be purchased from the American container away from the house. most common time for a Lung Association by visiting lung.org or by calling home heating fire is from  Never burn garbage, rolled newspapers, 800-LUNG-USA. 5:00-9:00 pm. charcoal or plastic. Do not use gasoline or The amount of radon in the air is measured in any liquid accelerant to help start a fire. picocuries per liter of air or pCi/L. The EPA recommends radon levels at 4 pCi/L or higher in homes be reduced. If  Do not close the damper until the embers have completely stopped your home has elevated radon levels, you should burning. contact a qualified radon mitigation contractor to help Gas Fireplace take steps to reduce the level. These steps may include  Have your gas fireplace installed by a qualified technician. Ensure the installing ventilation systems, sealing entry routes for technician adjusts the millivolt output, cleans and adjusts the glowing radon gas and installing sub-slab depressurization embers and logs for best appearance and cleans the fan and related air systems. circulation passages. For more information on radon, visit ct.gov/dph/  Install a smoke detector and carbon monoxide detector in the area of your radon. fireplace. Keep a fire extinguisher on hand.

For more safety tips, visit hpba.org. Beyond the Labels EHS Names its Employee of the Year

We all have them in our homes. From air fresheners to paint to lawn The Yale Office of Environmental Health fertilizer, our homes are filled with products to help clean, maintain, work and and Safety proudly have some fun. Gaining an understanding of what is in those products as well as honors Whyndam the effects they may have on your family is crucial to helping ensure their health Abrams as our 2016 and safety. Employee of the Year! The National Library of Medicine has created a Household Products Database As our Environmental to provide access to product information and links to manufacturer Safety Data Affairs Officer, Sheets (SDS). It is available at https://householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov. Whyndam brings The database contains over 16,000 consumer brands and includes the nothing but excellence chemical ingredients and composition, the manufacturer and their contact to EHS every day. His information and the acute and chronic effects of the chemical ingredients. attention to detail and uncompromising work ethic make for incredibly tight compliance within his programs, which

Whyndam Abrams, left, and EHS minimizes the Director Peter Reinhardt University’s impact on

the environment. Whyndam’s duties include implementing and maintaining numerous regulatory requirements including Underground Storage Tank and Above Ground Storage Tank Programs, sampling and record-keeping requirements for permits, requirements related to the Toxic Substances Control Act, Spill Prevention, Control You can search products via an alphabetical listing, manufacturer, ingredients and Countermeasures, air emissions, stormwater or via quick search by entering the product’s name. The database also breaks management, environmental engineering and many down products into the following categories: others. He has proved to be a great mentor with the ability  Household products-Air fresheners, bleach, cleaners, etc. to make time to discuss and explain his programs. He  Home maintenance-Caulk, grout, insulation, paint, putty, stain, etc. has developed trusted relationships with his colleagues,  Personal care-Antiperspirant, hair spray, makeup, shampoo, soap, etc. contacts throughout the University and the many outside vendors with whom he interacts.  Landscape/Yard-Fertilizer, lawn care, swimming pool products, etc. Whyndam was also honored in 2011 with the EHS  Arts & crafts-Adhesive, glaze, glue, primer, varnish, etc. Excellence Award (now the Dariusz Czarnota Award of  Pet care-Flea and tick control, litter, stain/odor remover, etc. Excellence).  Pesticides-Animal repellant, fungicide, herbicide, insecticide, etc.  Auto products-Brake fluid, de-icer, lubricant, sealant, etc. FDA Bans Powdered Gloves  Home office-Ink, toner, correction fluid, electronics cleaners, pens, etc. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has banned  Commercial/Institutional-Cleaner, floor polish, lubricant, solvent, etc. powdered surgeon’s gloves, powdered patient examination gloves and absorbable powder for The database is updated at least twice per year and may involve adding or lubricating surgeon’s gloves after determining that these modifying the manufacturer, brand and SDS information. A modification date products present an unreasonable and substantial risk of will be noted when there is an update to a product. illness or injury and that the risk cannot be corrected or In case of a poisoning emergency, you should call the Poison Help hotline at eliminated by labeling or a change in labeling. 800-222-1222 to reach your local poison control center. The call is free, Although this ban is directed at surgical and clinical confidential and handled by medical experts. The database is not intended to use of powdered gloves, it is also applicable to gloves provide therapeutic or clinical advice. used in laboratory settings. If you have any such products in your clinic or

laboratory, please discard them immediately. Office of Environmental Health & Safety Yale’s Office of Environmental Health and Safety 135 College Street, Suite 100, New Haven, CT 06510 recommends using powder-free nitrile gloves. Telephone: 203-785-3550 / Fax: 203-785-7588 Click here to read more about the FDA’s decision. ehs.yale.edu If you have any questions, please contact Cathleen Director: Peter Reinhardt Editor: Dan Champagne King, Chemical Hygiene Officer, at 203-785-5106 or “Respect the unexpected. Think through your risks.” - Author Unknown [email protected].